Thursday, April 21, 2016

UK Government commissioned Review
on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust has
identified India's Swacch Bharat Abhiyan as important step in reducing
antibiotic resistance.

The report has highlighted the interrelation
between sanitation, diarrhoeal disease and use of antibiotics across
middle-income countries and stated that reducing overall infections can reduce
the use of medications especially antibiotics. Therefore, the Swacch Bharat
Abhiyan which aims to improve sanitation and hygiene can reduce infectious
diseases and hence use of antibiotics.

The AMR has often highlighted
that simple measures like hand washing among physicians, maintaining hygiene
can go a long way in the battle against antibiotic resistance along with regulation
of prescribing and consumption of these drugs can. It has emphasised that broad
range of interventions, encompassing both the simple and inexpensive, and
larger-scale more complex actions are critical to address this public
health concern.